Working at ICE

Advantages of ultra-high field 7T MRI technology

Compared to lower magnetic field strengths (e.g., 1.5T and 3T), 7T MRI offers superior:

Spatial resolution, for structural imaging

• Higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 7T enables non-invasive imaging at sub-millimetre resolution, producing highly detailed images and permitting the visualisation of smaller structures than previously achievable. 

BOLD contrast effects, for functional imaging

• Higher SNR and higher blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast at 7T enhances microvascular specificity, permitting the localisation of functional MRI (fMRI) signals from distinct layers of cerebral cortex.

Spectroscopic sensitivity, for metabolic imaging

• Higher SNR and higher frequency dispersion at 7T improves Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) spectral resolution, permitting the separation of metabolite peaks with similar chemical shift values – e.g., glutamate and glutamine.

 

Disadvantages of 7T MRI?

• The wavelength of the radiofrequency (RF) energy transmitted to excite proton spins for 7T MRI is shorter than at lower magnetic field strengths, leading to variation in received signal over the body region being scanned and producing non-uniform images. However, this inherent challenge for the clinical utility of 7T MRI can be overcome with the use of parallel-transmit (pTx) technology.
• Development of novel RF coils and pTx imaging capabilities for 7T MRI is one of the key research strengths at ICE, and our users benefit from access to locally developed RF coils that produce high-quality uniform images.